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My Romantic Times — Day 4, Most of it Anyway
Got up early enough on Friday that I was able to get out for a walk. Cold was entirely gone and I strolled down Canal, in part so I could find The Ruby Slipper where a bunch of fellow Berkely authors and I were due to have breakfast on Saturday. From there I walked down Rampart Street, because it was there, and it was Rampart Street. Found Lafayette Square. Found the appellate court, which is housed in the John Minor Wisdom building. And the jokes just sort of write themselves, don’t they? Saw a bit of the warehouse district as well before turning back to the hotel and the conference.…
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My Romantic Times — Day 3
Woke up Thursday feeling much, much better. Good enough, in fact, to head back to Cafe Biegnet for, you guessed it, biengets, and strawberries, and some really strong coffee. Life was very, very good. Thursday’s item on the agenda was the “Exorcising Your Writing Demons,” with Patricia Rice, Patricia Burroughs, and Mary Jo Putney. 3 of us met up at Daisey Dukes, a 24/7 diner next to the hotel. I finally had red beans and rice. And fried green tomatoes. Delicious, and plentiful. The panel went really well. We spent time talking about things that hold us back from writing — feelings of insecurity, unsupportive surroundings, fear of what relatives…
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My Romantic Times Day 2 — Antoine’s and What Followed After
So, back there in a previous post, I talked about being a wannabe foodie. I also love grand old restaurants. So, when Jessica Freely suggested lunch at Antoine’s, I said YES. Cold or no cold, I was not missing this. Antoine’s is a genuine New Orleans establishment. It moved to its current location in the 1860s. Our waiter was the 3rd generation of his family to work at the restaurant. It has 15 dining rooms, including the Japanese room which was closed on D-Day, and did not open again for 50 years. All the Mardis Gras kings and queens have their meals here before the parade. It has also hosted…
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My Romantic Times — Day 2
Day 2 started slightly rocky, and very dehydrated, due to cold. Nonetheless, I was upright and able to join Cindy and some of the lovely Ellora’s Cave folks for breakfast at the conference hotel. Yes, there were biegnets on the buffet, but what stole the show was the pecan smoked bacon. Note: Let’s be clear. I pretty much did not stop eating this entire conference, cold or no cold. It was New Orleans, I’m a wannabe foodie. I was not going to miss an opportunity. I regret nothing. Also drank lots of water and orange juice. Then went out shopping with Cindy, because there was a store (David’s) next to…
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My Romantic Times — Day 1
My Romantic Times Booklovers convention did not start on a high note. The flight down was as pleasant as a flight can be these days, even though we had to set out at OHMYGODWHOSEIDEAWASTHIS-thirty in the morning. Even though we had to change planes in Charlotte. The Charlotte airport, by the way, has a lovely atrium with trees and rocking chairs, and some fairly decent barbeque, so it is now high on my list of decent airports. Anyway, on the second leg, I began feeling the ominous prickling that meant I had not in fact dodged my husband’s cold as I had hoped. Bleh. Still, flight was uneventful, got to…